Pastor accused of battering wife

NEW CASTLE – A New Castle pastor has been accused of battering his wife during an alcohol-fueled disagreement.

Brett A. Rains, 48 — pastor of New Salem Baptist Church, 2311 Washington St. — was charged last week with domestic battery. A bench trial is set for Oct. 14 in Henry Circuit Court 3.

According to police reports, a Henry County sheriff’s deputy was sent to Rains’ home, in the 200 block of South Meridian Street in Sulphur Springs, about 12:40 a.m. July 23.

The pastor’s alleged victim — who acknowledged she and Rains had both been drinking — told an officer that she became upset when her husband revealed he had also consumed a Valium that evening.

An argument ensued, the woman said, and she took the keys to Rains’ van to prevent him from driving “in his intoxicated state,” the report said. She said Rains then hit her repeatedly in the face, prompting her to surrender his keys.

The pastor then allegedly “aggressively backed into” his wife’s car, parked behind his van, “forcing it into the street,” then struck the vehicle a second time, knocking it off the road, a deputy wrote.

Authorities took photos they said showed swelling between the alleged victim’s temple and left eye, a swollen upper lip and dried blood around her mouth. She declined to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

Rains, found sitting in his van parked outside a Middletown tavern, was taken into custody a short time later. He reportedly told another deputy that he had consumed vodka and his prescription medication — described as “Valium and a steroid” — that night.

“Mr. Rains stated he did not mean to hurt his wife, but just a couple of minutes later stated he did not touch her,” the arresting officer wrote. The Sulphur Springs man was later released after posting bond at the Henry County jail in New Castle.

Court records reflect a check deception charge has been pending against Rains in Yorktown Town Court since January 2001. A warrant accusing the pastor of failing to appear for hearings in that court was most recently renewed in June 2010.